I don’t know about you but when I embark on a long project, I find it very difficult to stay on track. The Portuguese being a case in point. I have rather ambitiously decided to batch paint 24 models in one go to complete the 23rd Ameida Regiment before going onto the next 24 to complete the 11th Penamacor. That will give me the bulk of the Brigade that fought under Stubbs as part of Coles division at Salamanca and Vitoria. According to the little research that I have done so far, they were supported by the 7th Cacadores as well as a Battery of 5 6pounders & a 5.5 inch howitzer. All in all, a tidy little force once I have them completed.
step two in batch painting
So the 24 figures are assembled, primed and on the painting bench and I am at ‘step 2’ in my batch painting process. The flesh, hats and boots are done and the dark blue uniforms are coming along. I’ve built my two English officers. One is a Warlord Peninsular officer, the other a Victrix figure that I have put together from various bits.
British Officers attached to the Regiment.
I’ve also used a couple of the field caps rather than shakos for two of the troops to add a bit of variety.
Portuguese infantry in field caps
But as you can see I am a long way from completing these first 24 figures which brings me back to my opening statement. As I am working my way through these figures my mind and eye is wandering and I am constantly being drawn in other directions. This next part of my blog might sound like an advert but I am genuinely impressed with the Zvezda ‘Art of War’ range. The tanks and APC’s are all produced in 1/100th scale and just look superb when built. We have recently received the King Tiger from Zvezda, which started me drooling but this week the Sturmtiger arrived as well. It looks a lovely little model and at £2.99, whats the harm in getting one….
Tempted by the Sturmtiger!
Come on now, I bet that there are loads of wargamers out there that have fancied making a little collection of all the German tanks and the variants just for fun. Well I certainly have – a nice sequence from the Panzer I through to the King Tiger, all sat on my desk, the evolution of the Panzer! Maybe I’ll mount them on a card like a sort of family tree. It’s almost possible to do this now with the range available from Zvezda. So far, I have resisted, as there lies madness BUT maybe I will just treat myself to a bit of something different once this batch of Portuguese are finished and based!